Leonsis launches community effort to help Ward 8

Ward 8’s year-old Entertainment and Sports Arena, the complex where the Washington Wizards practice and the Mystics play, was always going to be just the beginning, says Ted Leonsis.

The billionaire owner of the District’s NBA and WNBA franchises announced Thursday that the Mystics’ parent firm, Monumental, is spearheading a multipronged effort to improve schools and fuel economic growth in the impoverished neighborhoods around the building where his teams play and practice.

The initiative, called “FORWARD8,” includes pushing for the expansion of advanced science, technology, engineering and mathematics — known among educators as STEM — programs in the area’s schools and revitalizing…